Downing Completes Liverpool Transfer

[Legion]

All I have to say on this matter is, 'Wanker'.

Thinking about it, that was my immediate response, in that we signed him when he was on crutches, blah blah, he told us a few months ago how he wouldnt want to leave, etc etc, but to be entirely honest, I don't really blame him or any other player for wanting to leave us now.

Look how utterly pessimistic the vast majority of people on here are about our prospects, then put yourself in his shoes.

Stopping players leaving by demanding top dollar is one thing but you also need to make them feel that there is a chance their ambitions can be realised here. Not too long ago, we were talked about as challenging to break the top four. No matter how realistic we may have thought that was or was not, right now, we're universally talked about as a selling club which is on the slide.

Now, that may or may not be true, but we've had a long sequence of events adding to that impression, and have done next to nothing to break it.

So, imagine yourself being a player asked to hitch your career to us, or given a chance at a club which is spending a lot of money and trying to get somewhere. It's a no brainer.

That's absolutely nailed on to be the same situation we will have with Darren Bent in 6 or 12 months, and the end result will be the same.

If i were Downing, I'd have done the same thing, and to be honest, that is the thing that scares me the most about the club, right now.

Could you please stop making sensible, thought-provoking posts? My head hurts.

[Eigentor]

Why is everyone so certain that we'll get N'Zogbia?

If it's posted enough times, it'll happen.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm furious at him, but at the same time the club is showing no ambition at all so can't entirely blame him.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

I'm furious at him, but at the same time the club is showing no ambition at all so can't entirely blame him.

I agree wth this.

Scholes was right wasn't he?

[hilts_coolerking]

Thinking about it, that was my immediate response, in that we signed him when he was on crutches, blah blah, he told us a few months ago how he wouldnt want to leave, etc etc, but to be entirely honest, I don't really blame him or any other player for wanting to leave us now.

Look how utterly pessimistic the vast majority of people on here are about our prospects, then put yourself in his shoes.

Stopping players leaving by demanding top dollar is one thing but you also need to make them feel that there is a chance their ambitions can be realised here. Not too long ago, we were talked about as challenging to break the top four. No matter how realistic we may have thought that was or was not, right now, we're universally talked about as a selling club which is on the slide.

Now, that may or may not be true, but we've had a long sequence of events adding to that impression, and have done next to nothing to break it.

So, imagine yourself being a player asked to hitch your career to us, or given a chance at a club which is spending a lot of money and trying to get somewhere. It's a no brainer.

That's absolutely nailed on to be the same situation we will have with Darren Bent in 6 or 12 months, and the end result will be the same.

If i were Downing, I'd have done the same thing, and to be honest, that is the thing that scares me the most about the club, right now.

Absolutely right on the money.  I suspect the die was cast when we marched straight past a good number of decent managerial cadidates, floundered for a bit and then appointed McLeish.  If Lerner isn't acting in the best interests of the club, why should anyone else?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Parker - ah yes a bloke over 30 on massive wages with no resale value. Just let RL think about that for a minute

Can we add his name to our list of pension funding signings:

Habib Beye, 31 years old, fee £2.5m, 3 year contract, £40k wages

Emile Heskey, 31 years old, fee £3.5m, 3 and a half year contract, £65k wages

Stiliyan Petrov, 29 year old, contract extension, 4 year contract, £55k wages

Richard Dunne, 29 years old, fee £6m, 4 year contract, £50k wages

[JJ-AV]

Re. N'Zogbia.

McLeish wanted him before. He wants to move. Wigan want to sell. We need a winger. His only other offers are from the two North East Clubs, who we're bigger and better than and it's been said he wants to be as South as possible for easier access back to France and London.

It almost makes too much sense.

[JUAN PABLO]

@JP....Fair enough, but surely the point is we are rapidly approaching kick of, the club should at least be starting to look settled and players club and fans alike should be looking forward who coming in to build on what we've got.

Fact is we are still losing our better players.

This week will be interesting.

well we will see..

get in Parker , Nzogbia and Given and we will forget about Downer and move on  ..   If nothing much happens , then it could get frustrating.  At least we got a bloody good deal with Downer and good riddance to the c**t ,  has he gone ? as Ive  not been on net ...     

the next 7 days is going to be be massive for the club and we wil see what direction we are going , Im still being patient but that Faulkner guy does look like a muppet at times ..

[JJ-AV]

One thing I would like the board to do in future, is before funding new signings get our best players tied down like Everton and Spurs do.

So in January get Bent a contract extention. And next Summer, if they've progressed get Clark, Delph, Marc and Bannan extentions.

When a player gets to 2.5 years left on his deal he holds all the power, 'cos that Summer it's 'Well its your last chance to get big money...'

[Villafirst]

One thing I would like the board to do in future, is before funding new signings get our best players tied down like Everton and Spurs do.

So in January get Bent a contract extention. And next Summer, if they've progressed get Clark, Delph, Marc and Bannan extentions.

When a player gets to 2.5 years left on his deal he holds all the power, 'cos that Summer it's 'Well its your last chance to get big money...'

Give Bent a contract extension? After current events I doubt he'll touch it with a bargepole!

[Merv]

If i were Downing, I'd have done the same thing, and to be honest, that is the thing that scares me the most about the club, right now.

Uh-huh (nods sadly). I think something changed in the strategy at VP about 18 months ago. Something that made O'Neill walk, Milner leave, Young halt contract negotiations, Downing change plans to extend his contract in a matter of weeks, the managerial search to eschew some outstanding candidates and settle on McLeish. Yes - before anyone says it - I realise we broke our transfer record in the middle of all this to sign Darren Bent but even so, I can't escape the feeling that we're heading down a certain road. To a town called 'Mediocre'.

[TheTimVilla]

We should have negotiated for a player plus money exchange. They've got 45 midfielders, so somebody like Kuyt would have been good business... Or is it just that I'm desperate for players to join us?!

[pauliewalnuts]

We should have negotiated for a player plus money exchange. They've got 45 midfielders, so somebody like Kuyt would have been good business... Or is it just that I'm desperate for players to join us?!

Kuyt was one of their best players last season.

I can't see them letting him go, or him wanting to come here.

[TheTimVilla]

Fair comment, but maybe one of the remaining 44 could have been viable? At one stage, we were in a position of negotiating strength.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

We should have negotiated for a player plus money exchange. They've got 45 midfielders, so somebody like Kuyt would have been good business... Or is it just that I'm desperate for players to join us?!

Kuyt was one of their best players last season.

I can't see them letting him go, or him wanting to come here.

He's 31 next week. The last we need are more pensioners on high salaries.